User interface

Abstract

A user interface for a display of an electronic device is described. The user interface includes a background layer for displaying an interface and at least a first animated control element overlaid on the back ground layer. The control element has a plurality of functions associated with it. Each of said functions is executable by making a 2D gesture associated with a one of said plurality of functions in a region of the user interface associated with the control element. A device including such an interface and computer code for providing such an interface are also described.

1 . A user interface for a display of an electronic device, the user interface including: 
 a background layer for displaying an interface; and    at least a first animated control element overlaid on the back ground layer, wherein the control element has a plurality of functions associated with it and each of said functions being executable by making a 2D gesture associated with a one of said plurality of functions in a region of the user interface associated with the control element.    
   
   
       2 . A user interface as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the control element moves over a region of the display.  
   
   
       3 . A user interface as claimed in  claim 1  or  claim 2 , wherein the control element is an icon.  
   
   
       4 . A user interface as claimed in  claim 1  or  2 , wherein the control element is an alphanumeric string.  
   
   
       5 . A user interface as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the alpha numeric string is a word.  
   
   
       6 . A user interface as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the word is polysyllabic and the each individual syllable is animated.  
   
   
       7 . A user interface as claimed in claims  1  or  claim 2 , wherein the control element is a button.  
   
   
       8 . A user interface as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein the button bears and indicia indicating a menu of functions associated with the button and wherein making the 2D gesture executes a function from the menu.  
   
   
       9 . A user interface as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein a help function is associated with the control element and wherein making a help 2D gesture causes help information relating to the functions associated with the control element to be displayed in the user interface.  
   
   
       10 . A user interface as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the help 2D gesture has the shape substantially of a question mark.  
   
   
       11 . A user interface as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the control element is visually opaque.  
   
   
       12 . A user interface as claimed in any of  claims 1  to  10 , wherein the control element is visually transparent.  
   
   
       13 . A user interface as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein the control element has a transparency of less than substantially 30%.  
   
   
       14 . A user interface as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the user interface includes a plurality of animated control elements.  
   
   
       15 . A user interface as claimed in  claim 14 , wherein the first control element is of a first type and a second of the plurality of control elements is of a second type, which is different to the first type.  
   
   
       16 . A user interface as claimed in  claim 14  or  15 , wherein the plurality of control elements between them provide a keyboard.  
   
   
       17 . A user interface as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein the keyboard has a standard layout.  
   
   
       18 . A user interface as claimed in  claim 16  or  17  wherein the keyboard provides all of the characters in an alphabet of a language.  
   
   
       19 . A user interface as claimed in any of  claims 16  to  18 , wherein at least one of the control elements is associated with a plurality of characters and each of the plurality of characters has a respective 2D gesture associated therewith for causing the character to be displayed on the background layer.  
   
   
       20 . A user interface as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the control element has a 2D gesture associated with it for carrying out a formatting function on a character associated with the control element.  
   
   
       21 . A user interface as claimed in any of  claims 1  to  15 , wherein at least one control elements is associated with a plurality of media player functions and each of the media player functions has a respective 2D gesture associated therewith for causing the media player function to be executed.  
   
   
       22 . A user interface as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the control element is animated so as to appear like a three dimensional entity.  
   
   
       23 . A user interface as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the control element is animated so as to be more readily noticeable by peripheral vision.  
   
   
       24 . A user interface as claimed in  claim 23 , wherein the control element has an axis along which it is animated.  
   
   
       25 . A user interface as claimed in  claim 24 , wherein the control elements animation comprises variable thickness bars scrolling along the axis.  
   
   
       26 . An electronic device having a user interface, the electronic device including: 
 a display device;    a data processing device; and    a memory storing instructions executable by the data processing device to display the user interface on the display, wherein the user interface is as claimed in any preceding claim.    
   
   
       27 . A device as claimed in  claim 26 , wherein the display is a touch sensitive display.  
   
   
       28 . A device as claimed in  claim 26  or  27 , wherein the device further includes a pointer device for making a 2D gesture on the user interface.  
   
   
       29 . A device as claimed in any of  claims 26  to  28 , wherein the device is a handheld device.  
   
   
       30 . A device as claimed in any of  claims 26  to  29 , wherein the device is a wireless telecommunications device.  
   
   
       31 . A device as claimed in  claim 30 , wherein the device is a cellular telecommunications device.  
   
   
       32 . A computer implemented method for providing a user interface for a display of an electronic device, comprising: 
 displaying an interface as a background layer;    displaying an animated control element associated with a plurality of functions over the background layer;    detecting a 2D gesture made over a region of the user interface associated with the control element; and    executing a one of the plurality of functions which is associated with the 2D gesture.    
   
   
       33 . A method as claimed in  claim 32 , wherein a plurality of animated control elements are displayed.  
   
   
       34 . A method as claimed in  claim 32  or  33 , wherein the animated control elements are transparent.  
   
   
       35 . A method as claimed in any of  claims 32  to  34  and wherein detecting the 2D gesture further comprises a gesture engine parsing the 2D gesture and generating a keyboard event corresponding to the 2D gesture.  
   
   
       34 . A method as claimed in any of  claims 32  to  35 , and further comprising determining a location within the display of the 2D gesture and determining whether a control element is associated with the location.  
   
   
       35 . A method as claimed in any of  claims 32  to  35 , and further comprising: determining whether a gesture is intended to activate a control element and if not then determining a function of the background layer to execute.  
   
   
       36 . A method as claimed in  claim 32 , wherein the 2D gesture is a help 2D gesture and the function associated with the 2D gesture is a help function which displays information relating to the control element.  
   
   
       37 . A method as claimed in  claim 36 , wherein the information relating to the control element includes a graphical indication of the 2D gestures associated with the control element and/or text explaining the functions associated with the 2D control element.  
   
   
       38 . A method as claimed in  claim 32 , wherein the control element is associated with a menu of functions and wherein the 2D gesture causes a one of the functions from the menu of functions to be executed.  
   
   
       39 . A method as claimed in  claim 33  wherein the plurality of control elements between them provide a key board and wherein the 2D gesture causes a character selected from the keyboard to be displayed on the background layer.  
   
   
       40 . A method as claimed in any of  claims 32  to  39  wherein the control element is a character string.  
   
   
       41 . A method as claimed in  claim 40 , wherein the character string is a word.  
   
   
       42 . A method as claimed in  claim 41 , wherein the word is a polysyllabic word and each syllable of the word is separately animated.  
   
   
       43 . Computer program code executable by a data processing device to provide the user interface of any of  claims 1  to  25  or the computing device of any of  claims 26  to  31  or the method of any of  claims 32  to  40 .  
   
   
       44 . A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium bearing computer program code as claimed in  claim 43.